Knitted fabric



N0". 20, 1934. o. sAUER 1,981,471

KNITTED FABRIC Filed OG't. 5, 1932 2 vSheets-Sheet l A TT ORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,981,471 KNITTED FABRIC Oskar Sauer, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application October 5,

7 Claims.

fabrics proof against ravelling without detracting from the natural elasticity characteristic of plain knit webs and without necessitating loop transferring or tucking as has been ordinarily done heretofore.

The mentioned attributes I realize in a fabric wherein the needle and sinker Wale loops of alternate courses engage with each other after the manner of plain knitting and interlock with the corresponding loops of` contiguous intermediate courses whereof the alternate courses have their loops interengaged likewise after the manner of plain knitting, with the result that the fabric is made secure against runs and the objectionable ladders attendant thereupon.

My invention is also directed in part toward the provision of a' simple method whereby knitted fabric having the above indicated attributes can be expeditiously and economicallyproduced.

Referring to'the drawings, Fig. I is a fragmentary diagrammatic viewrshowing my improved anti-revel fabric; and

Figs. II, III, IV and V are detail views showing successive steps of a knitting cycle convenient to the production of the fabric.

As delineated in Fig. I, my novel anti-ravel fabric is characterized by having courses 10, 10a whereof the corresponding loops 11, 11a are in-A terengaged after the manner of plain knitting; and courses 12, 12a which alternate with the 5 courses 10, 16a and whereof the corresponding loops 13, 13a are likewise interengaged after the manner of plain knitting and moreover interlocked with the corresponding loops l1, 11a of said courses 10, 10a. Such interlocking between the courses 10, 10a and 12, 12a is due, on the one hand, to overlapping of the loop sides or shanks 14, 14a of the courses 1'0, 10a by the bends or bights of the loops 13, 13a of the courses 12, 12a; and on the other hand, by similar overlapping of the sides or shanks 15, 15a of the loops 13, 13a of the course 12, 12a loops 11, 11a of the courses 10, 10a. Attention is here directed to the fact that the sides or Shanks of the component loops of my improved fabric all appear on one side (the front) ,of the fabric, and that the bights or bends of all the loops appear at the opposite side (back) of the fabric. The fabric thus has all the characteristics of a plain knit texture. As a consequence of this in- 5 terlock between the contiguous courses 10, 10a

by the heads of the 1932, serial No. 636,262 (Cl. ss- 169) point clear, let it be 11 of the course 10 be apparent that such loop would be released by the corresponding wale loop 11a of the course 10a below. but held by the loop 13 of the intermediate course 12. Similarly in the event of breakage of a loop 13 in the course 12 and release by the loop 13a of the course 12a immediately below, such loop would be held by the loop 11a of the intervening course 10a.

In the present instance it is to be understood that but one yarn is employed in the knitting, the

assumed that one of the loops has been broken when it will stippling having been resorted to for the purpose of distinguishing between the contiguous courses 10, 12, and 10a, 12a of the fabric. However, if desired, yarns of different materials or colors may be used to lmit the courses 10, 10a and 12, 12a for creation of design or pattern effects.

My improved fabric can be conveniently produced, as shown in Figs. II-IV, on a fiat knitting machinesuch as is used in the manufacture of full fashioned stockings, if fitted withv a fixed 'knock-over bar 16, a series of loop holding instrumentalities 17, and a series of hook-like loop transferring instrumentalities 18, said instrumentalities 17 and 18 corresponding in number with the needles and sinkers which are respectively shown at 19 and 20. The loopy holding instrumentalities 17 are vertically movable en masse independently of the needles 19 in a parallel plane; and the transfer hooks 18 are arranged for movement en masse forward and backward horizontally relative to the knock-over bar 16, aswell as swingable up and down about an axis 21.

In Fig. II, the needles 19 are about to be lowered to form a course of new loops from fresh yarn Y laid on the nibs of the sinkers 20, and to draw such new loops down through the loops 13a of a previously formed course on the Shanks of said needles while the loops 11 of another preknit course are being held away from the shanks of the needles by the instrumentalities 17 to prevent them from beingl cast with the loops 13a. y In Fig. III the needles 17 are down in their lowest position, having just drawn the course of new loops 13 through the course of previously formed loops 13a which were incidently cast, the in strumentalities 17 being shown as still holding the loops 11 and the transfer hooks 18 as having been moved forward and engaging the loops 13 just formed.

` the instrumentalities In Fig. IV, the needles 1'9 have been elevated through the loops 11 and 13, said loops 11 having iust been released, through `descent of the holding instrumentalities 17, to fall back against the Shanks of the needles 19; while the transfer-hooks 18 have been retracted to draw the last formed loops 13 rearward in readiness for penetration by 17. In Fig. Vl thev instrumentalities 17 have been raised to penetrateA and hold the loops 13 drawn rearward as explained in connection with Fig. IV, which loops have just been freed by upward swinging of the transfer hooks 18 about the center 21; and the needles 19 arevabout to descend to draw loops from freshly fed yarn Y through the loops 11 held lower down on the shanks of the needles by the extended nibs of the sinkers 20.

' The above described steps constitute a knitting cycle which is continuously repeated; and from the foregoing it will be seen' that the unique texture of my anti-ravel fabric results from temporarily holding the loops of two previously formed courses of the knitting concurrently and drawing a new course of loops through the loops respectively held by the instrumentalities 17 and the needles 19 and casting the loops of the first formed of the two held courses during each such cycle. The movements necessary to the described performance of the loop holding instrumentalities 18 in timed relation with the movements of the needles 19 and the sinkers 20 may be induced by any suitable mechanism for the purpose, which it has been deemed unnecessary to illustrate or describe herein.

The relatively loose interlock between the loops of successive courses of the fabric determined by my unique method of knitting, obviously insures a lateral elasticity corresponding to that of plain knit webs.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

. 1. An anti-ravel fabric characterized by having the loops of alternate courses engaged with each other after the manner of plain knitting, and said loops' interlocked with the loops of alternate intermediate courses likewise interengaged after the manner of plain knitting, the sides or Shanks of all the loops appearing at the front of the fabric, and the bends or bights of all the loops appearing at the back of the fabric.

v 2. An anti-ravel fabric characterized by having corresponding Wale loops of alternate courses engaged with each other after the manner of plain knitting, and said loops interlocked with corresponding Wale loops of alternate intermediate courses likewise interengaged after the manner of plain knitting, the sides or shanks of all the loops appearing at the front of the fabric, and the bends or bights of all the loops appearing at the back of the fabric.

3. An anti-ravel fabric characterized by having the loops of alternate courses engaged with each other after the manner of plain knitting, and the bends or bights of such loops overlying the Shanks of sides of the loops of alternate intermediate courses likewise interengaged after the manner of plain knitting, the sides or shanks of all the loops appearing at the front of the fabric, and the bends or bights of all the loops appearing at the back of the fabric.

4. An anti-ravel fabric characterized by having corresponding Wale loops of alternate courses engaged with each other after the manner of plain knitting, and the bends or bights of such loops overlying the shanks or sides of corresponding Wale loops of alternate intermediate courses likewise interengaged after the manner of plain knitting, the sides or Shanks of all the loops appearing at the front of the fabric, and the bends or bights of all the loops appearing at the back of the fabric.

5. The method of-producing anti-ravel fabric which comprises holding the loops of two formed' contiguous courses frombeing cast; drawing a new course of loops through the loops of both held courses; casting only the loops of one of the held courses; and continuously repeating the described cycle, always drawing'- the new course of loops through the held loops in one direction.

6. The method of producing anti-ravel fabric which comprises holding the loops of two adjacent formed courses from being cast; drawing a new course of loops through the loops of both held courses; casting only the loops of the rst knit of the two held courses; and continuously repeating the described cycle, always drawing the new course of loops through the held loops in one direction.

7. The method of producing anti-ravel fabric which comprises holding the loops of two previously formed fabric courses in definitely' spaced relation; drawing a new course of loops through the loops of both held courses; casting only the loops of the first knit of the two previously formed fabric courses; and continuously repeating the described cycle, always drawing the new course of loops in one direction through the held loops.

OSKAR SAUER. 

